fade into you |jordan li|

bonus. the last christmas

        |the last christmas before godolkin|

Christmas was always something Ari looked forward to, but this year was completely different.

Her powers were just a bundle of mass chaos, and she was alone. She didn't have her mother. She didn't have Andre, who purposefully stayed away this year. She didn't have her dad, who was too ashamed to be with her, and most importantly she didn't have Jordan, the very person she convinced herself she hated.

     The holiday that seemed to be all about family was going to be spent alone, just the start of her never ending cycle of loneliness, or so she thought it would be.

All Ari could do was recall the past few Christmas's that were spent awkwardly avoiding Jordan's gaze until they could sneak away to be alone with each other, away from her brothers view, where they would talk about literally everything. That's how everyday was with them, but they had to be especially cautious during the holidays, when Jordan would stay in their extra room to get away from their parents, and their dorm once they got into college.

She looked through numerous albums of her once happy family and scrolled through her phone looking for the photos Jordan and her had taken in private, photos of them smiling together, videos of them doing stupid shit, and always laughing. All it did was make her miss what used to be.

Though they never really told anyone, Jordan and Andre met their freshman year of high school, Ari only knowing of them from her brother. They didn't like each other at first. Not until the Christmas break of Ari's sophomore yearns high school.

She claimed they were a narcissist, but she soon learned the truth. Jordan just wanted to be the best because even their own parents didn't care about them for them. No one else ever looked out for them, so they had to look out for their self.

   It took a lot for Ari to change her perspective on them, but after two years of stupid bickering

That Christmas break they sparked a connection was Jordans junior year of high school, Jordan was in their female form wearing matching pajamas with the family as Ari and Andre's mother had insisted.

"Why are you such an asshole?" Ari asked out loud, in front of her whole family.

   "Um, fuck you too?" Jordan flipped her off.

    "Hey guys, calm down it's just a game, no need to get worked up about anything." Ari's mother tried calming them down during an intense game of monopoly, in which Ari was losing badly.

"Why don't you two go watch a movie together, try to become friends or something." Andre suggested, something he'd regret years later.

They went upstairs to their lounge room to watch a movie per her brother's request with snacks and hot cocoa Ari's mother had put on a tray, to carry to them.

They sat at least a foot away from each other, inched to each end of the red satin loveseat.

Ari tried to get comfortable, but it was to no avail. Jordan had already riled her up like they usually did with their jokes.

"I get to hold the remote." Ari claimed, grabbing it from the console table in front of them.

"By all means." Jordan put their hands up indicating that they had no intention of arguing with her.

Ari started scrolling on the tv mindlessly passing plenty of good movies, movies that she just wasn't in the mood for.

After scrolling for what felt like forever for the perfect Christmas movie Jordan stopped her.